Prior to the commencement of the October meeting of Saundersfoot Community Council, chairman Clr. Brabon welcomed Mr. Keith Williams and invited him to address members. Mr. Williams said his concerns were road safety in the village. There were no white lines on the corner of St. Brides Hill and it was very dangerous for cars to manoeuvre on this stretch of road, and asked if white lines could be painted there. Mr. Williams also asked if the hill from Bevelin Hall to Sandyhill Road could be added to the gritting schedule of Pembrokeshire County Council as it was very treacherous in winter, and requested that consideration be given to building a footpath on the road towards Rhodewood Hotel. Members all agreed that this was a very dangerous stretch of road and a footpath would certainly help. The clerk was instructed to write to the county council asking that they consider these requests.
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
Chairman Clr. Brabon presented to members the cup and certificate received from Wales in Bloom for the Sensory Gardens being awarded first prize. Chairman Clr. Brabon told members that he and vice-chairman Clr. Cleevely had attended the awards ceremony in Usk and it had been an impressive occasion. Chairman Clr. Brabon said that the cup and certificate had been on display in Stewart Seconds' window and asked that a letter of thanks be sent to them. He also added that the certificate and photograph of the council members would be placed in the Green Room.
MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
Limited waiting - Cambrian Place: The clerk read out a letter from the county council stating that a proposal for a 15-metre length of 30 minutes limited waiting be placed at the northern end of Cambrian Place and there would remain a length of no waiting at any time where a vehicle could stop to unload. The road returns to two lanes closer to the mini-roundabout. Members were happy with this proposal and advised that the county council go ahead with the scheme. Doctors' Surgery: The county council had reported that a pest control officer had visited the area surrounding the steps leading to the surgery and dealt with the rodent problem there. BT Telephone Exchange: The clerk read out a letter stating that BT had a five-year rolling maintenance programme which was meant to ensure that all of its buildings received essential maintenance on a regular basis, but unfortunately the budget for this programme iwas limited and BT had to prioritise those buildings which required urgent attention. The letter went on to say that the exchange in Saundersfoot was included in this programme, but there were no urgent structural or other defects requiring attention and it was unlikely that BT would divert essential funds to repaint the building as a matter of urgency. The letter concluded by saying that the request would be passed on to the building surveyor asking that the redecoration was carried out in Saundersfoot. Policing in Saundersfoot: The clerk informed members that Inspector Clark, from Tenby Police Station, would attend the council meeting on November 4, at 6.30 pm. Members were asked to highlight any concerns that might be raised, prior to the meeting, so that Inspector Clerk could have answers available. Playing fields: The clerk informed members that Mr. Graham Brace had commenced the painting of the seats in the Sensory Gardens. Chairman Clr. Brabon then asked if one of the spare seats in gardens could be relocated to the area by the Police Station. Members agreed and chairman Clr. Brabon said that he would arrange this, once the seat had been painted. Stream, Saundersfoot: The clerk said that the Sports Club and the Regency Hall Committee had agreed to clear the bank on their side of the stream, but had not received a reply from the county council whether they were prepared to do likewise on the Brooklands side. The clerk was instructed to write again requesting that this be done. Barbecue, Saundersfoot: The clerk informed members that Mr. Roger Barrett-Evans would be willing to attend a public meeting in the Regency Hall to discuss the sale of this building. Chairman Clr. Brabon said that the reason for calling a public meeting was to ask the county council why the building was going to be disposed of on the open market. Clr. Hayes said that she had spoken to Mr. Barrett-Evans and informed him that the county council had asked for a feasibility study on the building and not the community council, and Clr. Baker added that the council had been misled from the start and the county council never had any intentions of the community council acquiring it. The format of the meeting was then discussed and Clr. Talbot suggested that chairman Brabon chairs the meeting and a member be nominated to represent the council. Members agreed and nominated Clr. Hayes to represent the council, who would give a brief background prior to handing over to Mr. Roger Barrett-Evans, and this would be followed by questions from the floor. The clerk was instructed to liaise with Mr. Barrett-Evans to arrange a suitable date for the meeting. Sensory Gardens: The clerk informed members that Mr. Mike Fry had kindly donated a sack of daffodils to be planted in the Sensory Gardens. The clerk was instructed to write a letter of thanks to Mr. Fry. Removal of trees, North Close: The clerk said that he had not received a response from the county Ccouncil on this issue. All members present expressed their concern at the poor response to letters written to the county council and Clr. Cleevely proposed writing to the chief executive informing him that they were not keeping to their charter pledge of responding to letters within 10 days or at least acknowledging receipt of these letters. Clr. Cavell seconded this proposal. Sensory Gardens: Clr. Hayes asked if Crofty Nurseries could be asked to remove the montbretia from the gardens while undertaking the pruning of the gardens. Members agreed. Clr. Hayes also asked about the repairs to the wall around the gardens, and chairman Clr. Brabon informed Clr. Hayes that he and Clr. Poole would commence these repairs as soon as possible. Clr. Baker asked about the water feature for the gardens and chairman Clr. Brabon said that this has been discussed and installation of this feature was in hand. Sand dredging: Clr. Talbot informed members that she had written to Mr. Lyn Llewellyn, the acting chief officer of 'One Voice Wales', regarding the sand dredging issue, but no progress had been made on the issue at all, and she could see no point at all in attending their annual general meeting. She said that she would prefer to attend the area meeting of 'One Voice Wales', where she would get a more favourable response on the progress. The clerk said that he had also written to Mrs. Christine Gwyther AM and had not received a reply. Members agreed not to send a representative to the annual general meeting, but decided that Clr. Talbot attend the area meeting instead, which was to be held on November 17, at the Picton Centre, Haverfordwest. Beach, Saundersfoot: Clr. Hayes informed members that Mr. Keith Halpin, National Park, had spoken to the owner of the beach regarding the private use of same. Lighting outside Regency Hall: Clr. Cavell reported that the Hall Committee were going to discuss installing lighting outside the hall. Rubbish: Clr. Cavell reported that the rubbish had been cleared from behind the paper bank at Bonvilles Court and that the area around the Winding House had been cut back.
AGENDA
Signage in Saundersfoot: The clerk informed members that this item was carried over from a previous meeting and suggested that members tour the village to assess which signs were obsolete and which new signs needed to be considered. Chairman Clr. Brabon and Clr. Hayes agreed to tour the village and carry out this assessment. Christmas trees: It was proposed by Clr. Hayes and seconded by chairman Brabon that the council order two 20-25 foot trees from Hean Castle for Christmas this year. Audit and annual return 2003/04: The clerk informed members that the annual audit for the year 2003/04 had been completely satisfactorily. Planting of hedge in cemetery: The clerk informed members that it had been agreed by council to plant a new hedge in the cemetery in the autumn. Clr. Hayes suggested asking Crofty Nurseries to carry out this work and all members agreed.
PLANNING APPLICATIONS
Extension - Fox Hollies, Saundersfoot. Conservatory - 32 Bevelin Hall, Saundersfoot. Porch - Squirrells Leap, Saundersfoot. Extension and landscaping - Morningside, Saundersfoot. Alterations - Morningside, The Glen, Saundersfoot. Place bollards - Medical Centre, Saundersfoot. Demolish building - Cwm Clyd, The Glen, Saundersfoot. Decking - Kookaba, High Street, Saundersfoot. Members raised no objections to the above applications. The clerk informed the council that members of the development management committee would be meeting at The Incline, Saundersfoot, before a final decision was taken in respect of the planning application currently before them for determination. Only the site line of 2.4m by 70m would be considered at this meeting. Clr. Baker said that he was concerned at the reduction of the site line, firstly from 3.2m and now to 2.4m and asked why it had been reduced so many times? After a further discussion, chairman Clr. Brabon, who was appointed to act as the council's spokesman at the meeting, was advised to reiterate the following comments: i) Safety aspects due to extra traffic. ii) Calming measures to be in place prior to development commencing. iii) Request that the existing hedge be removed and a footway constructed at the Valley Road junction. Clr. Cavell declared an interest and took no part in this debate.
CORRESPONDENCE
An application was received for a variation of the Public Entertainment Licence for the Clr. Cleevely said that he had attended meetings of the Hospital Implementation Group on a regular basis and the plans were progressing satisfactorily.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Clr. Cleevely asked if the Cenotaph could be cleaned prior to Remembrance Sunday. The clerk said he would arrange for Mr. Graham Brace to carry out these duties. Clr. Baker asked if Saundersfoot CP School could be included in the organisations laying wreaths on the day. The clerk said that he would include the school on his mailing list. Clr. Cleevely suggested having the council Christmas dinner before Christmas this year. Members agreed and chairman Clr. Brabon said that he would make arrangements for the dinner to be held on either December 11 or 18 at the Mulberry Restaurant, Saundersfoot. Clr. Hayes informed members that Saundersfoot had also won an award from Wales in Bloom, the award being a Certificate of Merit in the small country town class. Clr. Baker commented that while travelling through Pentlepoir he had noticed that speed signs and flashing 30 mph signs had been installed, as well as the footpath on Hill Lane, and asked why was the village of Saundersfoot so badly served with regard to these improvements. Members agreed that Saundersfoot seemed to lose out on improvements and decided to raise these issues at their meeting with Mr. Hugh Marriott. Clr. Baker also asked when the new bus shelter would be installed at North Close as promised months ago. The clerk informed members that he had spoken to Mr. Ceri Rees from the county council and was told that the process of installing new bus shelters in the county was taking place at the moment and the North Close shelter would be installed before Christmas. Clr. Cavell asked when were the solar lights to be replaced in the tunnel leading to Coppet Hall. Clr. Hayes said that the county council was looking for vandal proof lights to be fitted there. Clr. Cavell asked if anything could be done to avoid the flooding occurring at the entrance to the Regency Hall car park. Clr. Baker said that this had been discussed previously and suggested considering the work to be carried out in next year's budget. Chairman Clr. Brabon said that Clr. Poole had been approached by residents regarding severe flooding taking place near St. Issell's Church and also on Sandyhill Road towards Sandyhill Nurseries. Members decided to also bring this to the attention of Mr. Hugh Marriott. Chairman Clr. Brabon also asked if an area on Sandyhill Road towards the Rhodewood Hotel could be included in the schedule for grass cutting undertaken by the county council. The clerk was instructed to write requesting that this stretch of road be included in the schedule. The next meeting of the council will be held in the Regency Hall on November 4, at 6.30 pm, when Inspector Clark will be present to address members.